49ers linebacker Fred Warner is having an outstanding season, grading out as the best linebacker in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The veteran’s impressive display is happening despite an apparent injury.
According to Nick Wagoner of ESPN, Warner recently reported that he’s been dealing with a fractured bone in his ankle. The injury reportedly occurred in a matchup with the Patriots, which took place all the way back on September 29. This means that Warner has been playing through the injury for eight weeks with only the bye week as respite.
Warner doesn’t expect to miss anytime, planning to continue to play through the injury. “Anytime you fracture a bone, if you just continue to play on it, the bone is usually not going to be able to heal itself. So (I) just (have) got to continue to just fight through.”
Here are a few other updates on injuries across the NFC:
- The Bears were dealt a number of blows during Thursday’s Thanksgiving game. The most concerning of these blows was a knee injury that saw right tackle Darnell Wright carted off the field, per Gene Chamberlain of Sports Illustrated. Luckily, the mid-week game gives Chicago ten days to rest and recover, but the location of the injury is troublesome as Wright’s only missed time this year (three weeks ago) came as a result of a knee injury. It will be something to watch for in early injury reports when the team attends practice this week under new interim head coach Thomas Brown.
- The Lions cannot afford to lose any more bodies on the defensive line. There was initially some concern that defensive end Josh Paschal might be in trouble after suffering a non-contact knee injury on Thursday, but things are looking up. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, “Paschal’s knee injury is not believed to be serious.” He will likely require some physical rehabilitation, but the injury will not be a season-ending one, as was initially feared.